Advice needed on future W212 E350 Purchase
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: S.Fla
11' E350, 11' G37 Sedan, 13' ES350
Advice needed on future W212 E350 Purchase
Good Morning
A family member purchased a 2011 E350 Luxury 4 months ago and recently found out he needs to leave the country and will not be taking the car with him. He is willing to give me the car and just wants me to take his payments over. I was going to purchase the car for my wife once her lease is over on her current Lexus in November. Since he is leaving later this month and his wife is leaving in June he is willing to continue to make payments till December on the car. The car is not CPO. From what I can tell it will need all the fluids changed or flushed. At the moment it has a noise that sounds like either wheel bearings grinding or bad tires. When driving at around 45-50 I can put it in Neutral and the noise goes away. Put it in drive and it comes back. My buddy said it is most likely Engine and Tranny mounts. What are your thoughts? Car now has 63K miles and right now the buy out is 25K. Payments are 440 a month. I am pretty **** when it comes to my cars. I am hoping this car is reliable and coming from an old E39 BMW I am hoping this car is not a "Pit" besides normal maintenance.
Thanks and Happy Motoring
!
A family member purchased a 2011 E350 Luxury 4 months ago and recently found out he needs to leave the country and will not be taking the car with him. He is willing to give me the car and just wants me to take his payments over. I was going to purchase the car for my wife once her lease is over on her current Lexus in November. Since he is leaving later this month and his wife is leaving in June he is willing to continue to make payments till December on the car. The car is not CPO. From what I can tell it will need all the fluids changed or flushed. At the moment it has a noise that sounds like either wheel bearings grinding or bad tires. When driving at around 45-50 I can put it in Neutral and the noise goes away. Put it in drive and it comes back. My buddy said it is most likely Engine and Tranny mounts. What are your thoughts? Car now has 63K miles and right now the buy out is 25K. Payments are 440 a month. I am pretty **** when it comes to my cars. I am hoping this car is reliable and coming from an old E39 BMW I am hoping this car is not a "Pit" besides normal maintenance.
Thanks and Happy Motoring
!
Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 85
Likes: 15
2019 Mercedes-Benz GLS
I would walk away from the car. I think that your family member owes more on the car than it is worth. You can probably get a CPO for the same price.
If you do want to buy the car, I would recommend a pre-purchase inspection by either a MB dealer, or by a reputable MB mechanic. Let the family member fix all the items plus let them pay for all the fluids to be changed. There are other non-MB extended warranties you can get.
Just my 2c.. Good luck!
If you do want to buy the car, I would recommend a pre-purchase inspection by either a MB dealer, or by a reputable MB mechanic. Let the family member fix all the items plus let them pay for all the fluids to be changed. There are other non-MB extended warranties you can get.
Just my 2c.. Good luck!
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Joined: Feb 2014
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E 350
Buying from a family member makes sense only if you know the car really well (meaning you know about all issues, history, repairs and things to do beforehand) and you are getting real good deal. If those two factors are not there it is as good as buying a used car from anywhere. Being a family member only complicates things further as relations can get soured if this car turns out to be a disastrous money pit.
Don't buy a car which has strings attached to it- friends, family, colleague etc.
Don't buy a car which has strings attached to it- friends, family, colleague etc.
Last edited by pamiboy; Feb 1, 2016 at 09:29 AM.
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Joined: Feb 2014
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From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
That's way too high. His payments are too low. Nadaguide says full retail is $24.4k. You should be able to get something in the $23k range for that kind of car. I'd get a 2012 though, 2012 had direct injection so you get 302hp vs 268hp on the 2011, plus I think gas mileage is slightly better not that it really matters with the current gas prices. You should tell him to take it to a few dealers and see what they offer him and just pay him that amount, I bet they only offer him $20-$22k.
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Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: S.Fla
11' E350, 11' G37 Sedan, 13' ES350
Oh Boy. I figured I would help him out but its not looking good. He is covering his payments till the end of the year. I saw one at my local dealer but it did not have the Sport package or leather for 24k. It was also not the color combo I wanted. I'll be taking it to get a PPI soon so I will report the findings. Sucks! My heart says to do it(!) but everything else says "pass".
I'll report the findings of the PPI....Oooh look at that CLS!
I'll report the findings of the PPI....Oooh look at that CLS!
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2013
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From: Down Unda
W204 C63 AMG, W212 E250 CGI, C207 E250 CGI
i try not to deal with family and friends when it comes to this things. like you, im very **** about my cars too and im just afraid that relationships might go sour if things dont work out well.
your money, your call. but id rather be harassing a salesman im not related to than a relative i see on family gatherings and weekend barbeques.
your money, your call. but id rather be harassing a salesman im not related to than a relative i see on family gatherings and weekend barbeques.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,273
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From: Orlando, FL
2015 GL550 4matic
That's way too high. His payments are too low. Nadaguide says full retail is $24.4k. You should be able to get something in the $23k range for that kind of car. I'd get a 2012 though, 2012 had direct injection so you get 302hp vs 268hp on the 2011, plus I think gas mileage is slightly better not that it really matters with the current gas prices. You should tell him to take it to a few dealers and see what they offer him and just pay him that amount, I bet they only offer him $20-$22k.
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,107
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From: West Central Florida
2011 E550 P2 4M Sedan
In general, I try to avoid car sales between family members unless you are really willing and desiring to help out the other person. Too much guilt and drama in some situations. Not saying that is the case here.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: S.Fla
11' E350, 11' G37 Sedan, 13' ES350
Looks like I will be holding off on this car. I feel bad that he is going to ruin his credit by just letting the bank take the car back. On the other hand I have a pretty good idea of what I will be looking for end of year. 2012/2013 with Sport/P1 and P2. Hopefully CPO.
Thanks everyone.
Thanks everyone.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,190
Likes: 1,549
From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
Looks like I will be holding off on this car. I feel bad that he is going to ruin his credit by just letting the bank take the car back. On the other hand I have a pretty good idea of what I will be looking for end of year. 2012/2013 with Sport/P1 and P2. Hopefully CPO.
Thanks everyone.
Thanks everyone.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 43
Likes: 2
From: S.Fla
11' E350, 11' G37 Sedan, 13' ES350
Why not just have him trade it into a dealer? Have him get a few quotes and just take the best one. He's probably upside down on his loan, but it may only be by a few thousand. That's probably better than having the bank take it because then there's all those other fees, penalty and interest associated with a repossession.
